Headed by a Snake

Tycondrius walked back down the stairs to stand on the same level as the young Athena Vanzano.

"Now, I suppose you've some energy left, young lady."

Athena puffed up her cheeks, nodding hesitantly, "Y-yeah."

Tycon shivered. He did not like the cold, "Again, I'm rather uncomfortable with the temperature--"

"It's not my fault!!" Athena shouted, aggrieved.

"--nor did I blame you. Please let me finish, young lady..."

"Ehehe... S-sorry, Sir Tycon."

"What say you to a single concentrated attack?" Tycon offered.

"Oh... okay. I can do that," Athena nodded. She allowed herself a tiny smile, apparently still excited to use her new abilities.

Tycon walked to the center of the room's formation. He noted that parts of the walls were still frozen, the effects of her powerful ⌈Ice Beam⌋ spell not yet dissipated. He was planning on using that.

He judged Athena's supercharged mana-charged spells to be at Second-Circle. As she was, she had power comparable to her brother at Iron-Rank. After this, she'd fall back to a comfortable Bronze, but he doubted she'd encounter a bottleneck in the near future.

Tycon hid one hand behind his back, gesturing for her with his other hand, "Please, young lady. Attack with your all-- but don't overexert yourself."

Athena stood up straight, saluting crisply, "Y-yes, Sir!!"

She closed her eyes and pressed her hands together, as if in... prayer?

White winds swirled around her, causing Tycon's cloak to flutter, the winds prickling and biting at his skin beneath his clothes.

Her eyes shot open, glowing white with power...

She spoke...

"(Winds of the Frozen North. // Sisters shunned by the light of the sun.)"

...And she was speaking in the gods-damned language of the Elementals.

"(The dark side of the moon, hidden by the zealous sky. // Frozen blood of a hundred thousand sinners...)"

She pointed her arms forward, just as six more arms made of crystal-clear ice pointed forward... They glowed with an unnatural light, reminiscent of a Warlock's spell.

Tycon felt his heart ache. He wanted to cry. He should have left. The power of Athena's oncoming attack Third-Circle, maybe even Fourth...

"LIGHT OF THE ETERNAL FLAME!!!!" Athena shrieked, her voice echoing thrice-over. If it was from the walls or from her magic, he couldn't tell, "SHOW NOT THY MERCY, HERE!!!!!"

Tycon did not like the sound of that. He did not like that, at all.

"⌈IIIIIIIIIIICE!!!! BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAMU⌋!!!!"

The entire room turned white as if hit by a snow blizzard while the sun was shining. As Tycon was engulfed in a concentrated beam of below-freezing frost mana... he couldn't help but wonder... why did Athena add the -oo sound at the end of ⌈Ice Beam⌋?

...

Utilizing his boot knife held like an icepick, Tycon hacked away at the massive ice crystal formation in the center of the room. It took him several minutes of Gold-Ranked knife stabs, but he was finally able to free his hand. His boot knife was ruined. And he'd lost his glove...

His leather gloves were expensive... and as handsome as he was, he would look foolish if he wore one without the other.

Held within Athena's ice formation (and still held by his glove) was the Frost Stone. Tycon volunteered himself as the target for a single concentrated attack, knowing he'd be able to mitigate its effects by utilizing the cursed relic as a shield.

Athena kept him company, sitting on the stone steps and watching patiently as Tycon hacked away.

Tycon addressed her, "Miss Athena..."

"Y-yes, Sir Tycon?" She looked guilty... like she knew she was going to be scolded. But still, he lauded her obedience in not escaping.

"If I didn't know any better... I'd think you were trying to permanently encase me in a block of ice..."

"Y-yeah... Eh... hehe..."

Tycon narrowed his eyes, staring until the young woman met his gaze, "That would have killed me, you know."

"O-oh..." Athena pursed her lips, "I mean... you're really strong, though?"

Tycon's mouth twitched, "Well... thank you."

Even with the compliment, he remained mildly annoyed.

"I mean... I kinda figured you were immortal," Athena bared her teeth in a sheepish grin.

Tycon sighed, "Danger aside... everything appears to have worked out..."

"Are... you immortal, Sir Tycon?" She asked.

Tycon rolled his eyes, "No. I do not believe I am. I would appreciate you not purposely trying to kill me in the future."

Athena twisted her lips, chuckling softly, "Ehehe... y-yes, Sir..."

...

The Frost Stone remained dangerous. Though its potential was severely weakened, it still held a simple, but malicious sentience. For the 'small' price of irrevocably altering a person's mind to commit Snake Cult atrocities, a host would gain the ability of a Circle Mage.

A single Circle Mage could be the core of an adventuring team. A squad of them could turn an even battle into a one-sided slaughter. If he wished, over the course of a few years, Tycon could utilize the relic to make an army of evil frost mages, capable of toppling entire nations. Someone else could... use it to be a much less threatening nuisance-- but a nuisance, nonetheless.

He wanted to report the relic's existence to Zenon's Church... but there was a chance they wouldn't try to seal it further. He feared they'd instead try to harness its powers. Archbishop Natalya Crucis mentioned there were traitors abound within her organization. He had seen it himself, having earned a Snake Cult favor from one of their Inquisitors.

After analyzing Athena's chanted spell with his System, he confirmed it was indeed cast at Fourth-Circle. Interestingly, it was not by the virtue of the Frost Stone's Third-Circle nature, nor by Athena's First-Circle control and her temporary boost to Second-Circle. The high affinity from the two together, and perhaps the incantation guided by her instincts broke the Circle barrier.

Athena's ice from her mana barrier was harder than Tyrion steel. The ice encasing the Frost Stone... no normal human would be able to break.

That girl... Athena Vanzano... the blood-related sister of Rex Gladiatores Maximus of Ezyria... just how powerful could she become?

And how could he use her?